Assam Aims to Boost Medical Education with 4,000 MBBS Seats by 2031

Assam is embarking on a significant expansion of its medical education system, with plans to increase MBBS seats to 4,000 by 2031. Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma announced this initiative during the inauguration of a new hospital in Jharkhand. Currently, the state has 16 medical colleges producing around 2,200 doctors annually. The government aims to establish 32 more colleges to address the healthcare needs of its population. This expansion is expected to create more job opportunities for doctors and improve healthcare access across Assam.

By Narendra Chaudhary Sep 24, 2026, 11:13 IST

Expansion of Medical Education in Assam

An upcoming Medical College and Hospital at Tamulpur, in BTR (Photo: @himantabiswa / X)

Guwahati/Ranchi, Sep 23: Assam is set to significantly enhance its medical education sector, with Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma revealing plans to increase MBBS seats to 4,000 by the year 2031.

This announcement was made during the inauguration of the 750-bed Baba Baidyanath Medical Trust Hospital located in Deoghar, Jharkhand.

During his address, Chief Minister Sarma emphasized the growth of medical education in Assam, noting that the state currently has 16 medical colleges and produces approximately 2,200 doctors each year.

He further elaborated that the government envisions establishing an additional 32 medical colleges in Assam, alongside the existing AIIMS and ESIC Medical College.

"Out of these, 16 have already been set up," Sarma stated, detailing the government's long-term strategy to enhance medical education and increase the number of qualified doctors.

He pointed out that for many years, Assam's medical education infrastructure had been quite limited.

The first medical college in the state was founded in the 1950s, followed by another in the 1960s and a third in the 1970s.

"With a population of around 3.5 crore, Assam had only three medical colleges, producing about 300 doctors annually, which led to a significant shortage of healthcare professionals," Sarma remarked.

He noted that recent expansions have greatly increased the number of doctors being trained in the state.

Currently, Assam produces around 2,200 doctors each year, a substantial rise from the previous figure of about 350.

To support this increase in MBBS seats, the Chief Minister mentioned that the government is also focusing on creating job opportunities for the growing number of doctors.

He highlighted the recent State Budget, which includes plans to assign two doctors to each of Assam's 5,000 sub-health centres.

According to Sarma, the growth of medical colleges and MBBS seats will contribute to a more robust medical education framework and enhance the availability of healthcare professionals throughout the state.